You might be on your way to Steam Boat Springs by the time this gets to you.
The problem with Hibiscus in general is that they are a close cousin to
cotton. Since cotton is a slightly larger business than my Hibiscus
business it tends to win. Laws are passed to keep out not only pests you
can see but the nasty ones you can't like fungus's, mold, nematodes etc.
They still haven't forgiven whoever was responsible for the weevil that was
introduced here. Frankly, I have found that most farmers really don't have
much of a sense of humor when it comes to pestilence.

So what kind of evil insects/diseases are there in Africa and Brazil
that would warrant banning Hibiscus entirely??
Cathy, west central IL, z5b
On Jan 7, 2006, at 2:32 PM, David Franzman wrote:

Yeah, trading is out. We can't import hibiscus from anywhere
except Canada. There is a two year quarantine on any Hibiscus
coming into this country with the exception of Africa (the entire
continent) and Brazil. For those two places Hibiscus are banned
completely. Which is unfortunate because one of the most talented
hybidizers is from Brazil.
Anyway as far as my shipping there it's dependent on their laws. I
haven't gotten that far yet as to alert the plant police. Here's a
funny thing: I can't look up another countries laws without
getting my ag dept. involved. I have to waste their time and ask
them everytime somebody from somewhere asks me an import question.
It's really stupid. Most European countries have a special thing
against the sweet potato white fly. That's their bug a boo..pardon
the pun. Some though like Malaysia will not allow Hibiscus in at
all. So, we'll have to see. For tiny Brunei who knows.
I was exporting to the Marshall Islands last year. Their ag dept.
was concerned because they had received a dirty load from somewhere
else. When mine arrived they didn't even bother to open the box
because they saw the USDA sticker on it. Now what, to me, was so
funny is that sticker is for Sudden Oak Death Syndrome. Had
nothing to do with pests otherwise. As far as I know the Marshall
Island don't have oaks...I could be wrong.
David
http://www.atouchofthetropics.net

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